RENEWED pleas have been made for residents in the first phase of the planned Gresham demolition area in Middlesbrough to be given a better deal.

Local councillor Ken Walker made his pleas at a meeting of Middlesbrough Council. He said there were elderly people who owned their own home and who would now rather move into rented accommodation.

They had a two or three-bedroom house and wanted to move into a similar property so they could have space when their children and grandchildren visited them.

But Cllr Walker said Erimus - Middlesbrough’s largest social landlord - had a policy which meant the elderly people would only be offered a one-bedroom flat.

“They want at least a two-bedroom house,” he said.

Cllr Walker said the financial packages being offered to people to buy their homes was too low.

“People are moving at a cost of £15,000 to £25,000 to themselves and it is a cost they cannot afford,” he said. “Can these people just have natural justice?”

Dave Budd, Executive councillor for regeneration, reported to the council that of the 248 homes in Phase 1A of the Gresham demolition area, 170 owners had agreed or entered into negotiations with the council to sell their properties. Ten had declined.

He said the council now owned 60 houses within the clearance areas.

Cllr Budd said he would raise the issue with Erimus about the policy on accommodation being offered to people moving out of the area.

“We have found that the vast majority of people have found something they wanted. We said we would continually review the situation surrounding the financial packages and we are doing that. We are seeing what real people are doing in real situations and have not seen the situations Cllr Walker has mentioned.”